Are Old SAABs BETTER? // 900 Turbo Convertible Review

The SAAB 900 Turbo was the ultimate '80s SAAB. But are old SAABs better than the newer GM era ones?

Car on review: 1988 SAAB 900 Turbo 16v Convertible 175
#saab #saab95

***************

[hughbarton]

I worked at Saab dealers from 1988 to 2002 as a sales manager. and trainer. I personally sold, new and used, many, many thousands of Saabs, and personally owned 11, all old type 900s, all turbos.
The Saabs of that era were about as fragile as anvils, absurdly strong and safe, and a car that, if driven properly, startlingly guick, particularly on bad roads/rain/snow..I would go out on stormy days looking for BMW fans to torment....
Not throwing shade...if new style Saabs please you, by all means enjoy them.

[lucine]

When Saabs were pure Saabs they rocked

[TheBTG]

My 1991 900 SPG 16v turbo with 205, 000 miles says ‘Yes!’

[LotCARS]

I love the fact that for so many years Saab went their own way. Back in the mid 80s when I was working for a leasing company there was a certain section of the blue chip customer driver population that would choose this above an E30, Audi 80 or even Merc. Understated, classy without being showy, superbly built and safe, the appeal is clear!

[jonboy]

I have owned 2 Saab 900 Turbo's 16v S models - a hatchback with whale tail and a 2 door hardtop and they were both fantastic - especially the 2 door that I had from 9000 miles. The reason I bought my first one was from following one in an XR3i and getting blown away when the Saab driver put his foot down! The way the turbo lagged was great! Miss them both to this day! Only sold the last one to buy a 9000 when the kids came along - nothing like the 900!

[jondonnelly]

This is a brand I'll love to see come back.

[paullacey]

I bought a 32 year old 900 16V convertible in 2023, which I found on ebay. I paid well under £3000 for it and, to date, it hasn't missed a beat! What's more, barely a week goes by without someone coming over to talk to me about it - both men and women. What's more, when the top is down, it's a really enjoyable driving experience. It feels solid, and it does handle well through the bendy country roads here in Suffolk. Above all, I completely agree with you about the straightforward dash and controls. Modern cars require you to take your eye of the road to search for something on a touch screen! Now where's the safety in that? Thanks for a great video JJ.

[Rjhs]

Old Saab, newer Saab, non-Saab...whatever JJ, your videos never disappoint.
Thanks for another great one.

[theworldaccordingtochris]

I have a 2006 95 Aero Combi with around 87, 000 miles on it and it's DEVINE! Had it 11 years and it's going lovely 👍.

[anakinskywalker]

Hell yes! I’m a mechanic in Australian & apart from some rust issues. they were built & over engineered in a Swedish way. Such a shame they don’t exist anymore

[stevekoh]

I own two Saabs in Korea. One is 9000CSE and the other is 9-5. No matter what they say... I simply love Saabs!

[saabt]

I've owned SAABs for 30 years and drive a convertible similar to the one here. I use it every day during the summer, weather permitting. Allow me a couple of comments:

2:58: Many upmarket cars had this style of cruise control. It is a vacuum operated Heath Robinson design, but works well - if it works at all. If it doesn't, fault tracing can be a lot of fun.

5:36 make that a "triple layered" convertible top. It's not as quiet as the steel roof ones, but the temperature insulation is just as good, if not better.

6:45 You don't need a seat belt butler. You get used to reaching for the seat belt in no time.

7:00 Scuttle shake: There is no denying it. The old 900 does it a lot. It's something that one must simply accept.

7:25 SAAB had to abandon the old Triumph engine, it wasn't nearly good enough. Saab own design may be similar in layout, but otherwise, there is NO comparison at all...

7:30 SAAB 900 turbo engines put out between 145 and 185 horsepower (PS), depending on configuration.

9:30. I absolutely do NOT agree.

Are the newer ones better than the old SAAB's? Perhaps. Depends on how you compare them: Against each other directly, or against the competition of their day. Only the latter is a fair fight. Even so, while the newer may be better overall, the old car fights back when it comes to driving pleasure and roadholding. The newer ones are bland, at best. At worst, they are terrible. Ever try a 1994-1998 900? Yikes.

Having had about 40 SAABs of nearly all models, I do not like the newer ones. You get all the OPEL disadvantages of GM parts without the benefits. What I mean is: Back in it's day, the 900 - even though it was an old design rooted in the 1960's - offered something that the other brands didn't have.

When the 9-3 and 9-5's were new, SAAB was simply behind the contemporary competition in so many ways, and no longer offered any true personality to compensate. That includes the NG 9-5. I've driven a few, and it simply wasn't good enough, compared to other luxury cars in 2010-11.

You'd want to try a 1992-1993 SAAB 900 Turbo (but not the low pressure one). Three door hatchback. Try that for roadholding 😀 It gives a 1998.2010 9-5 something to think about...

[SemiffGrid]

The trouble with the new generation Saabs is they do not have that timeless style of the OG Saabs nor the quality, the Saab 900 is simply a masterpiece and very iconic and also a great driver's car, I grin from ear to ear every time I drive my old Saabs. such a great loss for the evolution of the car industry!

[TheoPhilpot]

I own a GM era Saab and plan to purchase a Saab Saab next week. I cannot wait for this mechanical vehicle with old school turbo lag and SOUL.

[mikenewbold]

saab has to be the only company that managed to make gm products such as cavalier and vectra rival bmw in the market. Even if not as good dynamically. Had a 99 93 convertible and a 05 93 both were great felt special.

[davidunderhill]

Original "Old'' SAAB's are the best by a country mile! And are in reality the only SAAB's!! Following the absolute travesty of the GM takeover they became badged over Vauxhalls, I owned one a GM 93 for 14 years! Yes it took me that long to get over that SAAB Image!!!

[spiderfiveeightnine]

I had a 900 T16S convertible with the Aero body kit for 7 years, used it as a daily driver and towed a Caravan with it, they are built from girders and have a certain feeling of solidity which I bloody love, too! The only criticism of mine was, being an auto, it sometimes felt as if it wasn't quick enough off the line at roundabouts etc because of the turbo lag, but when it picked up, it brought a smile every time! Lovely car, I only sold it because it was coming up to 200k miles and I told myself its value would drop, so I bought a GM 900 V6, which I kept for another 7 years, before buying a Viggen, which I kept for... another 7 years! Loved them all, still own a 9-5 Aero estate (my 3rd) can't think what I would rather have except maybe a lower mileage Saab! Thanks for the video!

[per-hakansvahn]

The last generation of 9 3 SAABs are brilliant cars. I own two of them, a low milage 9 3 aero convertible with the 2.8 turbo V6 and a Sedan TTID diesel. I’ve owned two 900 turbos in the past. Fantastic cars for its time but of course they are inferior tho the last 9 3 gen. The latter was up to 80% rebuild from its doner Opel/Vaxhall doner vehicles. The best car of this generation of European vehicles.

[samlin]

Test drove a friend's 1994 or 1995 2.3 liter turbo 9000 CSE hatchback/liftback years ago in the US. It was much better than I expected. I can imagine it must be a nice performance sedan back in the day. SAAB really had its style and character.

[wertywerrtyson]

The 2001 SAAB 9-5 we had when I was a teen was really good. Before that my parents had a 1990 Volvo 740. The upgrade was like night and day. Eventually they got a 2007 V50 but the SAAB was the best.